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Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Atlanta Restaurant Review: Las Brasas

Great googly moogly, have you been to Las Brasas? I for one had not ventured to the Decatur palace o' Peruvian chicken until this past week, and man do I regret that I didn't go sooner.

The restaurant itself is a tiny little takeout joint with some outdoor seating. Mr. AT lived in DC way back when and used to scarf down Peruvian chicken on a regular basis at Pollo Rico in Arlington, so he has a long standing love affair with South American poultry.

We opted to share the whole rotisserie chicken, which comes with an aji sauce (apparently made of cilantro and jalapeno) and a side of potatoes with huancaina sauce (a creamy spicy sauce made with cheese and Peruvian pepper). I am not kidding when I say this relatively simple food was epic. Peruvian chicken is heavily seasoned. I'm not clear on what mix Las Brasas uses but a quick google search of Peruvian chicken suggests spices like cumin, garlic powder, paprika and lemon are de rigueur. Regardless of what they're using, it's heavenly. The crispy skin crackles with flavor and the meat is oh so moist. I usually like to keep some semblance of manners when I eat, but this was dig your hands in, face covered in chicken grease kind of eating!

The side of potatoes was nothing complicated, but the sauce made the dish. How can you go wrong with a rich creamy, spicy, cheesy sauce? Seriously, when I wasn't dipping the chicken in aji sauce, I was using the huancaina sauce, too.

When I was done I was actually sad that the feeding frenzy was over. It was that good. When I went to wash my dish, I found a single renegade potato slice hiding under a lettuce leaf and I practically wept for joy. Las Brasas, I love you, for reals. Even Mr. AT had to admit that he'd be hard pressed to decide which was better - Las Brasas or El Pollo Rico, and considering how many times I've heard him mention that restaurant - some 8 years after he left DC, that is a big compliment indeed!